Lasting Legacy

^{13 Tevet 5780 | January 10, 2020}

Parshat Vayechi

Rabbanit Yael Keller

Class of 2022

How do you want to be remembered when you leave this world? What steps do you take to ensure your legacy survives? In this week’s parsha Yaakov Avinu prepares to die. The gemara in Bava Metziah (87a) teaches that Yaakov is the first person to get sick prior to death. Pirkei D’Rebi Eliezer explains that, strangely enough, Yaakov wanted to be sick. Before this moment, one would sneeze and her life would leave her through her nose. Yaakov didn’t want his death to be so sudden. Yaakov wanted time to mark this transition, to set his affairs in order, and to leave a lasting legacy with his children. It is only through this intention that he was able to leave ideas and love that would extend beyond his physical lifespan.

The parsha opens by telling us that Yaakov was 147 years old and had spent the last 17 years living in Egypt, reunited with all of his children. He sensed the end of his life was near and gathered his children together, blessed them, and said goodbye. The next verse informs us:

Rashi offers a radical interpretation, contrary to the plain meaning of the text, that Yaakov didn’t actually die. Rashi notes the text uses the word ויגוע, he expired, but not that he died, וימת, which indicates Yaakov did not die. When the Torah tells us that Avraham, Yishmael and Yitzhak die the words ויגועand וימת are linked together. Here the word וימת, he died, is notably absent. Despite the strong textual pattern that might suggest something different is happening to Yaakov, this is still a striking interpretation. In the following verses we see Yosef falls on his father’s face weeping and makes arrangements to embalm his father. Then Yosef and his brothers take Yaakov’s body back to Canaan for burial. How could Rashi believe that Yaakov is not dead if he is to be mourned, embalmed and buried?

This radical idea of Yaakov’s immortality predates Rashi. In Masechet Taanit, 5b, the Gemara relates a story; Rabbi Yitzhak and Rav Nachman had just finished enjoying a meal together when Rabbi Yitzhak tells Rav Nachman that "יעקב אבינו לא מת" - Yaakov Avinu did not die. And Rav Nachman reacts the way you might expect, based on our reaction to Rashi - he wonders why they embalmed and buried a man who was not dead. Rabbi Yitzhak defends himself by quoting a verse from Jeremiah 30:10:

He notes that in this pasuk, Yaakov is being juxtaposed with his זרע, his offspring. Rabbi Yitzhak continues, just as Yaakov’s offspring are alive when redeemed, so too Yaakov will be alive as well. Today, we are still known as “Bnei Yisrael” the children of Israel/Yaakov. We continue, as a community, to keep Yaakov alive, if not in body, at least in memory.2

How does this work? How do you live on, once you have left the world? How do you separate the acts of ויגוע, expiring - physical death - and מיתה - complete death?

Yaakov is the first to consciously and intentionally prepare for and implement his deathbed. When Avraham dies there is notably no goodbye, no final bracha for his children. It seems Yitzhak tries to leave a last bracha for his eldest son on his deathbed. He calls Esav to him and explains "הנה-נא זקנתי לא ידעתי יום מותי" - “ I am old and don’t know when I will die. And then Yitzhak gives Yaakov, masquerading as Esav a bracha. This is perhaps his attempt at preparing for physical death and trying to leave a legacy behind. However, this is not actually Yitzhak’s deathbed; he goes on to live twenty more years after the fated bracha swap.

Today, with the advent of medicine and science, we are often able to better predict our own death and even when one dies suddenly, we have more tools with which to make our intentions known and to create our legacies. We have the opportunity to prepare our wills, taking care that our assets will go where we intend. In this digital age, we are able to preserve our life stories, accumulated wisdom, messages for future generations in ways that have never been done before. If we follow in Yaakov Avinu’s footsteps and work to create intentional legacy, we can leave memories and lessons that will last into future generations. May we all be merited to live long and beautiful lives, followed by lasting legacies.